Schwartzwalder, "Ben" (Floyd B.)
Football
b. June 2, 1909, Point Pleasant, WV
d. April 28, 1993
A center at the University of West Virginia, Schwartzwalder coached high school football after graduating in 1933 and then served as a paratrooper during World II.
He became head coach at Muhlenberg College in 1946 and had a 25-5-0 record in 3 seasons, including a victory over St. Bonaventure University in the 1946 Tobacco Bowl.
Schwartzwalder went to Syracuse University in 1949 to revive a moribund program. He was soon successful, producing a 7-2-0 team in 1952 and the school's first bowl bid. However, Alabama devastated Syracuse 61-6 in the Orange Bowl.
In 1959, the American Football Coaches Association named Schwartzwalder coach of the year for producing a national champion with 10-0-0 regular season record. That team gave Schwartzwalder his first bowl victory in four appearances, beating Texas 23-14 in the Cotton Bowl.
Schwartzwalder's successful teams always featured a strong running attack, with talented backs behind a powerful offensive line. Among the outstanding runners he produced were Jim Brown, Ernie Davis, Floyd Little, Jim Nance, and Larry Csonka.
As a product of the "Black Power" movement, Schwartzwalder was pressured in 1971 to hire a black assistant coach. When he refused, all of Syracuse's black players left spring practice and Schwartzwalder suspended them. Partly because of that problem, he was forced out of his job after the 1973 season. In 25 seasons at Syracuse, he had a 153-93-3 record and he was 178-96-3 overall.